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Best in Europe! Again*

INSTAGRAM*

WORDFritule(Free-too-le)Little doughnuts, petits beignets, piccole ciambelle, pequeños donuts

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an exonym A

gram *For the second year in a row, Advent in Zagreb is voted

the best European Christmas market

小さなドーナツ작은 도넛小甜甜圈

DEC 2016/JA

N 2017

Boris K

ovačev / CR

OP

IX

ICE PARKThe open-air ice rink on Tomislav Square brings another round of frozen fun. Put your skates on, enjoy the glide. ZRINJEVACAn eternal symbol of Zagreb, Zrinjevac park gets an ethereal flair for Christmas: blue lights on plane trees around the old music pavilion. EUROPEAN SQUAREThis must-see location for the urban crowd throws

up a host of concerts, attractions and exhibitions. Grab a sausage and mulled wine and sway to the beat. FOOLING AROUNDThe best thing at this fest in Tomićeva and Kurelčeva street: the world is your oyster as you dig into

international food stalls and browse unique knick-knacks.3D TUNNELDive into the newly opened Grič Tunnel for a very different Christmas carol: 3D installations on the city’s most mysterious

FIRST MINUTE

Take a selfie

Enjoy the city

Go to party

Head straight to the city’s oldest quarter, the Upper Town, on a unique funicular ride. Built in 1890, this charm-ing carriage is the world’s shortest cable railway. A 64 seconds-long ride covers the distance of 66 meters and the height difference of 30.5 me-ters. It rides every 10 minutes. Hop on for symbolic 4KN (0.5€) and admire stunning views on the way up.

ADVENT TOP 5

ANJA MUTIĆ

New Year's resolutions

Author of Lonely Planet Croatia, writes for New York Magazine and The Washington

Post. Follow her at @everthenomad

WHATWHEREWHEN

MONOVIEWAdvent turned Zagreb into a hit destination

Nikola Bušljeta, Ultra Festival director. Zagreb Ultra is the biggest New Year’s party in this part of Europe

ZAGREB NEEDS MORE ALL-DAY PLACES WHERE YOU CAN HAVE COFFEE IN THE MORNING AND HIT THE DANCE FLOOR AT NIGHT

ZAGREB ULTRA brings some of world’s best DJs for the weeklong Croatia Winter Music Festival. The line-up includes Armin Van Buuren, Sander Van Dorn, MOTi, Julian Jordan, David Gravell, Juicy M...ZAGREB 360° NEW YEAR’S EVE is the biggest New Year’s Party in this part of Europe. We’re expecting 20,000 visitors from Croatia and abroad, especially because this is Armin Van Buuren’s first time in Zagreb and he is known for surprising fans with unexpected music sets. WHEN I GO OUT IN THE EVENING I usually go for a bite to eat so you can often catch me at Lido restau-rant on the Jarun lake. TO FOREIGN TRAVELERS I always recommend traditional restaurants. In the summer I take them to the coast and during wintertime, for Advent in Zagreb and up the Sljeme hilltop for a bowl of beans.

I TAKE MY FRIENDS to La Bodega. It’s a wine bar with a great choice of food but it also has a good music program. It’s a place both for the morning coffee and a night out. ZAGREB WINTER is getting richer with events. The Advent program has turned Zagreb into a tourist hit. But for the destination to keep growing, we need to attract younger urban travelers. It’s exactly what we do with Croatia Winter Music

ENTER THE MAGIC OF THE NUTCRACKER Museum of Arts and Crafts hosts The Nutcracker, a fabulous exhibition about the mythical world of the Nut-cracker ballet. Don’t miss its dreamy scenery designed by Saša Šekoranja and the original costumes from the Mariinsky Theatre premiere in 1892. This is the first comprehensive exhibition of this ballet and the story of Nutcracker ever installed in the world. @muo.hr

ARTSY TAKE ON DATACurious to see an unusu-al multimedia exhibition which tackles data in an artsy way? Head to the Museum of Contempo-rary Art (on until Feb 12, 2017) where Dali-bor Martinis, Croatian conceptual and video art pioneer, is showing Data Recovery 1969-2077. Drawing on the comput-er data retrieval meta-phor, his work speaks out about our collective remembering and for-getting. @msu.hr

ALL HAIL TO THE YOUNG CROATIAN ARTISTSAn excellent cooperation between The Klovićevi dvori gallery and the Fine Arts Academy de-livers ARThoc (on until Jan 8, 2017) – a series of shows, workshops and dynamic artistic interventions to present the new generation of Croatian artists. Catch their talent while still raw – you never know how globally important they might turn out to be one day. @gkd.hr

FUN IN THE MOUNTAINSEven if you don’t ski, there’s fun to be had on the Medvednica moun-tain overlooking Zagreb. The annual Snow Queen Trophy skiing competi-tion is on Jan 3–5, with top skiers gliding in the women’s and men’s slalom races. Do like the locals do and hike up the Sljeme hilltop to deserve this excitement packed event. @snowqueentrophy.com

It is that time of year when we go crazy with big decisions.

Sometimes they are larger than life, so big we can’t fit them in. But year after year we do the same, we convince ourselves that we’ll make the nearly impossible happen. Because that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for. 

In 2017, I am taking a different route for a change. All while

staying put. I will explore my own city, and with fresh eyes. I promise I will go to a neighbor-hood in Zagreb I’ve never been to before and take a stroll, once a month. Just because. I promise I will hop on a random streetcar once a month and ride it to the final stop, stay onboard and ride it to the other final stop. Let’s make tram 17 the first one in 2017. I promise I will take more walks in the snow. I will pop into more cafes I’d never paid attention to. I will talk to more kumicas at Kvatrić, and say hi to more strangers in the street. Just because.

Maybe I won’t do all these things once a month. And

perhaps it doesn’t really matter. What matters in 2017 is my city, seen anew. Zagreb as my world, Zagreb as the world, with a twist.

ZAGREB SUPERHEROES

Nikola Tesla in Zagreb 1892:“As a son of my home country

Croatia, I think it my duty to help the city of Zagreb.”

Tesla in the heart of ZagrebHis only encounter with Zagreb was

passing through town on his way to his mother’s funeral. At that occasion, he said at the City Council: ‘As a son of my home country Croatia, I think it my duty to help Zagreb.’ Tesla is omnipresent in Zagreb: find his inventions in the Technical Muse-um, or stroll down the shortest but most buoyant street bearing his name. Track down his statue in Preradovićeva street,

work by Ivan Meštrović.

A hip bar that pairs wine, food and music

HIDDEN ZAGREB

British Square – the epitome of old Zagreb – is becoming hip. The daily farmers’

market morphs into a swank antiques fair on Sundays, and cafes are styling up their decors and menus. Tucked inside a nearby courtyard (Ilica 73), you’ll find Sherry’s Wine & Bites – the local rising star. Pop in for a top-notch glass of red or white masterfully paired with this spring’s funky ‘Old Zagreb with a twist’ menu. Coffee is tops too, brewed by the local artisan roaster Cogito. For an eat, drink and dance combo, pencil in their regular Basement Jazz on Wednesdays. ‘Try Purger Burger, the old Zagreb take on an American classic.’ Ivana Šeremet, Sherry’s owner.

ULTRA NEW YEAR a 7-day party galore

It’s still not official but, believe me, this Zagreb Advent is out-

shining the last year’s award-win-ning run. Festival locations have spread to the magical Upper Town, Design District in the hip Martićeva Street – even across the River Sava. Fooling around, feast-ing and shopping comes in such abundance that Zagreb is for the first time showing the symptoms of large metropolitan cities – the sweet overwhelm. In the midst of this captivating holiday cheer, let’s take a breath and remember what Advent tradition is really about. The four weeks run-up to Christmas has always been a time for giving off of ourself. Some people choose to give up heavy food and fast, others donate to a charity. Decide on any small act of kindness and your path to Merry Christmas will be more gratifying. It’s the balance between giving and receiving that ultimately lights up our end-of-year holiday season.

Tip: For one day, go vegetarian. Skip on a sausage and try cheese-filled štrukli or germ knedla with poppy seeds.

Honestly, be your best for Europe’s best Advent

Global anthropologist and Zagreb writer with a twist. Follow her at @travelhonestly.com

ANDREA PISAC

-27,3degrees Celsius is the lowest recorded temperature

Get ready for the ultimate party that kicks off this year

and ends in 2017. Seven days and nights of pure fun, world’s best DJs and tens of thousands of party people from around the planet all meet in a single place at a single event – Croatia Winter Music Festival in Arena

Zagreb. The ball gets rolling on New Year’s Eve with the Dutch DJ line-up, headed by Armin Van Buuren, followed by the encore on Jan 1, and then a new party each night until Friday, Jan 6. And that’s not all. On Jan 2 and 3, Arena Zagreb invites the world’s best gamers to fight live and win

the Zagreb Gaming Champion-ship. Don’t skip the day fun in Arena – Monday to Friday (Jan 2-6), the best Croatian designers show off their work, with the star headliner Borovo's Startas shoes already a huge international hit. Program and ticket info on @croatiawintermusicfestival.com

Zagreb's museums

Lauba (Baruna Filipovića 23a) Part museum part gallery, Lauba excels with its outlandish take on con-temporary art. A former riding stable, the monu-mental space is a perfect playground for artists and art lovers. lauba.hr

Museum of Illusions (Ilica 72) ‘The world is sometimes just a perception’ is the motto of this brilliant place featuring over 70 exhibits, hologram pictures, puzzles and educa-tional games. Embark on this exciting sensory adventure. muzejiluzija.com

Technical Museum Nikola Tesla in Savska street is a must-see, especially for kids. Don’t miss The Planetarium, The Apisarium, Tesla’s Cabinet, and the current show Car – the Culture of Mobility all for only 15KN. tehnicki-muzej.hr

Tortureum (Radićeva 14)Want a peak into how confessions were forced out during the ancient times? Tortureum’s replicas of the torture chair, guillotine, pendulum and other instruments of execution are chillingly real. tortureum.com

Museum of Con-temporary Art (Avenija Dubrovnik 17) This jewel museum is worth visiting if only for its meander-shaped architecture. Don’t miss the collection of Croatia’s 1950s generation of abstract-geometric artists or the fab roof terrace. msu.hr

Museum of Bro-ken Relationships (Ćirilometodska 2)Once a roving exhibition honoring the legacy of love by focusing on failed relationships, it’s perfect for its therapeutic or curiosity effect. brokenships.com

QuiZG1 68 cm of snow, the most in the last 150 years in Zagreb, was recorded in:a) 2013b) 2014c) 2015

2 How many stairs are there to climb in the race to the top of the Zagrepčanka building?a) 712b) 612c) 512

3 Which one is Zagreb’s biggest museum?a) Museum of Contemporary

Arts (MSU)b) Mimara Museumc) Technical Museum Nikola

Tesla

BONUS QUESTIONWhat is the fine for jaywalking in Zagreb?a) 200 KNb) 300 KNc) 400 KN

ANSWERS1 a The record 68 cm of snow was measured in 2013 on Sljeme, but also in Maksimir Park.; 2 c There are 512 stairs that lead to the 26th floor of the Zagrepčanka high-rise; 3 a MSU, based in Novi Zagreb, spreads over 5,000 square meters; BONUS b, 300 KN. Since 2015, Zagreb pedestrians have been fined 2,124 times for jaywalking.

16meridian passes through Zagreb and has its monument at the corner of Držićeva and Vukovarska streets

5653meters is the length of Ilica street, the city’s longest street for the longest time

ULTRA NEW YEAR a 7-day party galore

COOLTURE2CELLOS play at the humanitarian concert in the Vatroslav Lisinski hall on Dec 23, 9pm. They are joined by the pianist Mia Pećnik and the money is being donated to the people with a lazy eye. @lisinski.hr

BARBER SHOP 2017 in Boćarski Dom (Jan 27-28) is a winter rock festival featuring the best bands from the region: Pips Chips & Videoclips, Gatuzo, Obojeni Program, Jonathan, Uružjem Protiv oOtmičara and many more.

GIACOMETTI is still on at the Art Pavilion! Walking Man, one of the world’s most expensive sculptures, currently resides in the Art Pavilion. Catch it in the company of Woman of Venice and other ‘thin people’ until January 8. @umjetnicki-paviljon.hr

DAY 1 December 31

New Year’s Eve party is in the hands of the Dutch. Alongside Van Buuren, there are special guests: iSander van Doorn, MOTi, Julian Jordan and David Gravell, as well as the Ukra-nian DJ rising star Juicy M.

DAY 2 January 1

REPLAY 360° NYE party featuring the globally pop-ular Flower Power program, a mainstay of the Pacha club in Ibiza.

DAY 3 January 2

Program Heart featuring Julian Jordan and David Gravell.

DAY 4 January 3

Laundry featuring Sick In-dividuals, Kura and Thomas Newson. Duo Sick Individu-als are best known for their Rihanna, Avicci and David Ghetta remixes.

DAY 5 January 4

Wrong Crowd night featur-ing the Moroccan DJ R3hab and the German DJ/produc-er Felix Jaehn.

DAY 6 January 5

At the penultimate night, Tylt program features DJs from the trance label Arma-da with some of the world’s best performers.

DAY 7 January 6

Croatia Winter Music Festival closing night by Giraffe Warehouse Project, featuring the French Florian Picasso and a few other world-known techno DJs.

ARENA HEADLINER

The New Year’s Eve party is headed by Armin van Buuren, four times win-ner of the world’s best DJ title according to DJ Mag. A king of the trance scene, he’s hosted A State of Trance radio show, broad-cast in 80 countries to 37 million listeners every week for the last 15 years. Van Buuren is a regular guest at Ultra Europe festivals, including those on Zrće on Croatia’s island of Pag. This is his first big stage gig in Zagreb.

WINE TIP If you like white wine, try graševi-na, the most common Croatian white grape variety or Istrian malvazija. If red is your thing, go for plavac mali, especially great from the Dingač and Postup wine regions.

FOR RAINY DAYS...The Šestine umbrella is one of Zagreb’s most recognizable souve-nirs. Grab yours at one of the souvenir shops on Bakačeva street, below the Cathedral.

FIVE MINUTES TO TAXIZagreb taxis usually arrive within five minutes from making a call. That is, if you manage to get through during rush hour. Calls are charged but you can keep the dri-ver waiting for up to five minutes for free.

FOR CHEEP BEER...Finding cheap beer in the city center isn’t easy. But skip the center and you’ll find great neighborhood haunts. Our pick: Krivi Put on Savska.

SMALL TAILOR REPAIRSIf you need small tailor repairs, pick one of two tailors (Mega-Cif or Cik Cak) in Prilaz Sestara Baković, the small passageway that connects Masarykova and Varšavska streets.

GET TIED UPCroatia is the homeland of the tie (cravat). Buy this original Croatian product in Croata salons, located at Kaptol 13 and Ilica 5 (inside the Oktogon passageway).

THE MOST USEFUL CARDWith Zagreb Card tourists get free transport and ticket discounts for more than 150 locations. Daily card is 60KN, a three-day card is 90KN. A ride on the funicular is included.

HELPZAGREB

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TAXITIPS&TRICKS

EXCHANGE RATES, (BUY RATE, DECEMBER 15 2016)€ 1 7,55; $ 1 7,21; JPY 100 6,09

3 zones1 red 6 KN/h2 yellow 3 KN/h3 green 1,5 KN/h

25,000 parking spaces across town

7 public garages2-5 KN/h40-60 KN/day

Lang square

Petrinjska street

Tuškanac

Martićeva street

Kvaternik square

Rebro

Svetice

Electric car battery chargers available at:

With 25,000 parking spaces across town (zones 1–3), seven public garages and 7500 extra spaces in private lots, there is always a parking spot too few! Zagreb needs at least 40,000 parking spaces, which is why driving into town at peak time on a Saturday is a top-level operation. More so if you need to squeeze in your errands-run-ning into two hours – the maximum time allowed in zones 1–2. An hour in a public garage is cheaper, except in the one on the Flower Square, which charges 12KN/h. Cars can stay in a public garage throughout a day, with no threat of being towed away to Zagreb Fair (charge: from 750KN). Five public garages have electric car battery chargers.

Parking zones ripple out but garages work non-stop and fill e-cars

Zagorje: the cradle of life since the Stone AgeVenture behind Za-greb’s Medvednica mountain into the verdant countryside with mellow rolling hills and stunning medieval castles, like Trakošćan and Veliki Tabor, today turned into museums. For a trip back in time, head to Krapina’s high-tech Ne-anderthal Museum, an excavation site and multimedia showroom of life in the Stone Age. Spice it up with a glass of local white or red wine at hilltop Vuglec Breg restau-rant nearby.

Tip: Don’t leave Zagorje without tasting the traditional free-range turkey with mlinci (local pasta).

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4am

LAST MINUTE

Don't waste paper. Use it or . . .

First, there was a mural with sleeping beauty at AKC Medika.

Street artists Lonac and Chez took a month to finish their Technicolor Dream. A month later, huge Gulliver fell asleep in Opatovina, in 30 me-ters long mural by Pimp My Pump crew. Sweet dreams!

Tomislav hotel

Sljeme vista

Željezničar mountain hut

Snow Queen hotel

Činovnička meadow

ZAGREB

UP FOR SOME SKIING? LET’S MEET IN 15!Red-white-blueAs the most famous, the Red Descent measures 975 m, covering 300 m of altitude. The White and Blue Descents are more than a kilometer long, while the Green Descent and the White Meadow are half their length.

Sledding for freeA day ski pass is 50KN for children and 100KN for adults. Skiing at night (adults only) costs 70KN. Sledding at the Činovnička Meadow is free, but forbidden at ski runs.

Snow cannons and giraffesWhen there is no snow and the temperatures hover around 0°C, the Red, White and Green Descents get extra flakes from snow cannons or ‘giraffes.’ Sljeme normally gets 40 cm of natural snow in winter months.

Beans and sausageEven if you’re not lodging in the Tomislav or Snow Queen hotels on Sljeme, you can pop in for some bean stew with sausage or pork knuckle. These winter treats are also served in other mountain huts – Izviđački, Puntijarka or Runolist – at 30KN a portion.

Even with the New Year’s Slalom Ski World Cup canceled, don’t give up on skiing. Zagreb’s ski season opens the same day as the Snow Queen Trophy. Locals rushe up to one of five Medvednica ski descents, together four kilometers long. Providing the cold-enough weather and efficient fake snow technology, there will be skiing until the end of March.

Zagreb’s street food scene explodes in De-cember, and the sausage steals the limelight. Food stands in Bogovićeva and Tomićeva streets and in Zrinjevac Park are where you

Sausage and cabbage: a match made in heaven

can pay tribute to this wintertime star. Try the international classics: kranjska (pork and bacon), debrecinka (pork with paprika) and frankfurterka (minced lean pork). Always mix it up with local favorites: pečenica (pork and bacon), češnjovka (pork and garlic) or krvavica (blood sausage). Go be-yond the typical sausage in a bun combo and try it with much loved sautéed sauerkraut. Sausage in a bun: 15KN, c 350 calories. Sausage with sauerkraut (restaurant): 40KN, c 250 calories

TASTE OF ZAGREB

powered by Taste of Croatia

PEPPERMINT GETS HOTTER AT NEW PEPER

90 dBmaximum

allowed noise in Zagreb cafes. Live concerts

go up to 110 dB.

Lower Town tenants protested against the

noise coming from Za-greb cafes and bars and

asked for the closing hours to be moved

back to midnight. Their request was refused. Explanation: Zagreb

has always been a tourist destination,

and so bars, eat-eries and terraces must stay open

until 2am.

Soak up the magical powers of the Stone Gate, the eastern entrance to the medieval Gradec Town turned shrine. Join the locals in their silent prayers and light a candle at this atmospheric corner before leaving Zagreb. As you walk through the Gate, go either to the left or the right of iron pillars. Don’t ask why; just respect the local lore.

Technicolor dreamers

The cult Peppermint club moved 30 meters down the street into the old Maraschino cafe, at the corner of Ilica 5 and Margaretska 1. Top-notch fun moved with it too, and is now spread over two floors, a base-ment and a terrace. Good times are guaran-teed by DJ Tomo Ricov and his team. Peper is open every day: daily groove from noon, live DJ sets till dawn.